


Worthy

by Rose_SK



Series: Toss A Child To Your Witcher Mini Ficlets [3]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Parent Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Parent Jaskier | Dandelion, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Protective Jaskier | Dandelion, Soft Jaskier | Dandelion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-19 03:49:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22804780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_SK/pseuds/Rose_SK
Summary: Willow wants to prove herself to Geralt
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Toss A Child To Your Witcher Mini Ficlets [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625245
Comments: 4
Kudos: 217





	Worthy

Willow could not remember how long she had been lying on her bed for, but she felt no less irritable and angry. Her jaw clenched involuntarily as she replayed the conversation between her and Geralt over and over in her head. Willow hardly ever raised her voice at Geralt, not only because she had always felt slightly intimidated by his much larger stature, but also because she respected him as a parental figure. However, she would not tolerate being spoken to like a child. She was sixteen years old, and many girls her age were already leaving their homes and starting a family. Personally, Willow did not want that life for herself, but that did not change the fact that she was realistically considered like an adult in the eyes of society. The fact that Geralt simply refused to see that enraged her to no end.

“It’s always all about Ciri. Perfect little Ciri,” Willow huffed under her breath as she turned onto her side and curled up into a foetal position. All she wanted was to go on a stupid little hunt with Geralt and Ciri, but they had deemed her too inexperienced to join them. Ciri was always allowed to go on hunts, and Willow always had to stay behind. It simply was not fair. She felt tears of frustration well up in her eyes as Geralt’s harsh words echoed in her mind. _You are just a child. You’ll get yourself, or one of us killed. You don’t have what it takes_. That last one had stung more than anything else Geralt could have ever said to her. Willow was a fast learner. She could read and write better than anyone else in the village. The advantage of being taught by Jaskier, who had attended Oxenfurt himself and even lectured there sometimes, was that Willow had access to knowledge that other people in her village could only dream of. What little information Jaskier did not know was usually provided by Geralt, who had also taught her numeracy and astronomy. Willow could also brag about her musical talents and her singing voice, again thanks to Jaskier’s patience and excellent teaching skills. It seemed like Willow excelled at everything she undertook.

There was one exception, however. Willow’s fighting skills were atrocious.

Geralt had tried to teach her to use weapons, starting with a small dagger and gradually working their way up to a board sword, then to a long sword. When those had not yielded the results he had expected, Geralt thought that Willow might feel more comfortable using a bow and arrows, but as it turned out, her aim was about as terrible as her coordination. Jaskier had tried to reassure Willow by telling her that she was more of an artist than a fighter, but that had not helped the young woman feel better about her failures at all. She knew that she could do no wrong in Jaskier’s eyes, but she yearned for some recognition from Geralt and she would do anything to hear him say how proud he was of her. Ciri always got all the compliments from Geralt. Ciri was an accomplished hunter, tracker, swordswoman, archer, fighter, rider… an accomplished everything, whereas Willow was expected to stay at home and look cute.

Well, that would end tonight. Willow would show Geralt just how good a hunter she was, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. He would be forced to recognise her worth when she stood in front of him holding the heads of drowners in her hand. She had heard of a nest on the beach just half an hour’s ride away from their home. Willow could leave now and be back in time for supper. She would show Geralt just how worthy she was. Even Ciri would have to admit how strong Willow is.

Willow wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand and began mentally devising her plan. Jaskier had gone into the village to hopefully earn some coin by reading his new poetry to the barely interested patrons in the inn, while Geralt and Ciri had left to hunt tonight’s dinner. No one would notice that Willow was gone until it was too late. It was the perfect plan. What could go wrong?

OoO

“You know Geralt, maybe you were a bit harsh to Willow this morning,” Ciri suggested as she tied another hare to Kelpie’s saddle. Geralt acknowledged her words with a distracted grunt, which was usually an indication that he was only half listening to the conversation. The young woman turned around to face the witcher properly, clearing her throat purposefully to catch Geralt’s attention.

“Are you even listening?” she asked sternly, which was met by Geralt’s unimpressed stare.

“I wasn’t,” came the admission, which had Ciri heave a heavy sigh as she rolled her eyes at Geralt.

“I said, I think you owe Willow an apology for the things you said to her this morning.”

“An apology?” Geralt repeated incredulously, raising an eyebrow at the young woman, “and why would I want to do that?”

“She was just trying to help us out. You could let her join, you know. It’s only a pack of wargs, we’ll deal with them easily enough.”

“You clearly haven’t seen how hopeless she is with a sword or a weapon of any kind, for that matter. Yesterday I saw her trip over her own feet because she got distracted by a bright flying insect,” Geralt argued, but Ciri merely shook her head at his words.

“She’s curious about the world. I remember someone once encouraged this trait in me…”

“You are far more coordinated than Willow could ever hope to be, Ciri. I just don’t want her to get hurt, that’s all. Is that such a bad thing?”

“Of course not,” Ciri and Geralt were now walking alongside each other on the path, Roach and Kelpie in tow, “but you’ve never been really good with your words. What you told Willow this morning cut her deeper than you realise. I think you should go see her and tell her that you did not mean to sound as harsh as you did. Explain to her that you just want to protect her.”

“She knows that,” Geralt argued stubbornly.

“Does she now? Or does she think that you’re just avoiding spending time with her?”

Geralt did not reply, and Ciri knew she had struck a sensitive chord. She knew Geralt well, and even though she loved him with all her heart and was grateful to him for everything he had done to her, he was easily the most short-sighted and emotionally constipated person she had ever met. He and Yennefer were as bad as each other in that respect, and neither of them seemed to notice.

“I thought so…”

“Don’t get smug,” Geralt told her, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, “I’ve told her these things for her own good. She’s too young to be getting involved in monster hunting, anyway.”

“Remind me how old you were when you left Kaer Morhen for the first time?” Ciri asked, feigning ignorance which had Geralt tighten his jaw in an effort to remain calm.

“That was different, I had gone through various enhancing mutations, I had completed an intense fighting training and I could use my magic as additional protection. Willow would only slow us down on a hunt, and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her.”

“Those are all things you should be telling her. She’s not a child anymore. She can take it. What she can’t take, and what she will never stand for, is people treating her like she’s helpless, or stupid. You should know that she’s as strong-minded as you and Jaskier combined, and maybe even more stubborn.”

Geralt remained silent, and Ciri decided that she had said enough and dropped the subject. The walk back to the cottage was spent in silence, during which Ciri wondered if perhaps Willow might respond better to a female teacher when it came to her survival skills. Geralt was generally a good teacher, but sometimes lacked patience. Ciri would not have been surprised if the witcher had grown frustrated with Willow after so many failed attempts. She made a mental note to mention this to Willow when they got home.

When the cottage came into view, Ciri heard her stomach grumble loudly at the thought of dinner. She loved coming to the coast, because Jaskier and Geralt usually spoilt her with all the delights and comforts of a home-cooked meal, a hot bath and a cosy bed. Ciri also loved hearing Jaskier’s newest creations, to Geralt’s dismay. Willow was turning into quite the singer herself, and she often joined Jaskier in a duet. Coming to the coast always felt like coming home to a happy family. Ciri wished Yennefer would visit more often, but some things were not always meant to be.

“Geralt, Ciri? Is Willow with you?” Ciri heard Jaskier ask as soon as they had stepped into the cottage.

“Last time we saw her she was in her room. Why?”

“Did she tell you if she was planning on heading somewhere? She wasn’t in the house when I came in, and her horse is gone.” Ciri could tell that Jaskier was worried, and by the way Geralt tensed up next to her, so was he. Ciri’s stomach churned as the same thought crossed all of their minds at the same time.

“You don’t think she went to fight those wargs on her own, do you?” Ciri asked Geralt, earning herself a shocked look from Jaskier.

“Wargs?”

“Only one way to find out,” Geralt announced before heading outside again, no doubt looking for any clues as to where Willow might have headed. The witcher completely ignored Jaskier’s outraged questions, which left Ciri with the task of explaining the argument that had taken place between Geralt and Willow earlier that morning. Jaskier’s worry only increased tenfold as he listened to Ciri’s story.

“Oh dear gods, she went to take on those wargs by herself, didn’t she?”

“Ciri!” Geralt shouted from outside, “saddle the horses, we’re going after her. She headed south.”

“South? But the wargs were sighted east from here,” Ciri remarked with a frown.

“I have heard rumours of a nest of drowners south from here. I’m guessing that’s where Willow headed.”

“Drowners?!” Jaskier cried out, all colour draining from his face as he followed Ciri outside, “Drowners, Geralt? She won’t stand a chance against one of them, never mind a _nest_. What was she thinking, why would she run away like that?”

“Jaskier-“

“I don’t know how long ago she left, she might have already reached them and… oh gods, she could be injured, or worse _dead_. Geralt, what if she’s dead? I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to her, Geralt what are we going to _do_!”

“Jaskier, I need you to calm down,” Geralt snapped as he took several long strides towards Jaskier only to rest both his hands on the bard’s shoulders, “I won’t let anything happen to her, Jaskier, you have my word. But I need you to stay calm.”

“I’m coming with you,” Jaskier declared, trying to move away from his lover’s firm grip, but Geralt would not allow it. For all of Jaskier’s own physical strength, he would never be a match for Geralt. “I’m coming with you, no discussion.”

“You’re going to stay right here. I’ll have enough on my plate worrying about one of us without adding you to the mix.”

“I can take care of myself, I have done so in the past when I accompanied you on your merry missions, so you won’t convince me to stay behind this time!”

“Jaskier, I can’t risk losing both of you. Please… don’t make me beg for you to stay back where you’ll be safe.”

Ciri watched the scene with interest. She rarely got to experience Geralt so close to losing his composure. Witchers notoriously did not show any feelings, but Ciri knew this was wrong. Geralt had loved exactly two people romantically in his life. His first love was Yennefer, and his forever love was Jaskier. Ciri and Willow were like daughters to him, and Geralt felt a deeply rooted fatherly love for them both. He was fiercely protective of them and would pluck the moon and the sun from the sky if that meant keeping Ciri and Willow happy. The thought that anything could happen to any of the people he loved or had loved in the past was unbearable to him. Ciri knew. She had always known. If only other people could see it too, then perhaps they would not be so quick to judge Geralt or fear him.

“Okay… but please bring her back to me, Geralt. Please…”

Geralt nodded and indulged in a rare display of raw emotion when he placed a firm kiss on Jaskier’s lips full of promise and reassurance. He would not dare return to Jaskier without Willow in tow. Ciri felt her heart tighten in her chest at the thought that they were running out of time.

“Geralt, we need to head now. We might still be able to catch up with her.”

Ciri sincerely hoped that she was right.

OoO

Willow slashed at the third drowner headed her way, managing to wound it enough to cause it to stumble back several steps away from her. She could feel every muscle in her body burn with exhaustion as she wielded the far too heavy sword. Willow faintly heard her horse let out a panicked neigh as another drowner approached it. Willow screamed at the creature to stay away before rushing back up the hill, feeling her legs tremble as she pushed her body even further. She managed to reach the drowner before it could attack her horse. She focused all her energy on swinging the sword as hard as she could and managed to decapitate the drowner. Willow thought she might faint as she tried to catch her breath. The remaining drowners, even the wounded ones, started climbing up the hill towards her, hungry for her flesh and blood. Willow was starting to believe that she had bitten off more than she could chew. She was about to mount her horse in a last desperate attempt to flee, but the mare panicked at the sight of the creatures, reared and took off before Willow could react. The horse would not listen when Willow called for her and it was in that instant that fear took over. One drowner slapped Willow across the cheek with so much force it sent the young girl tumbling to the ground. She dropped her sword and concentrated on scrambling as fast as she could away from the snarling creatures. Her head was spinning, she was losing a lot of blood and her muscles were spasming so much it became painful to move.

Willow closed her eyes and prepared herself for the excruciating pain of being eaten by drowners to consume her. Her last thoughts were of Jaskier finding out what had happened to her, and suddenly she felt extremely selfish and stupid. What had she done? To Willow’s surprise, the pain never came. Instead, she heard the drowners screech as they became agitated by something Willow could not see. The young girl faintly heard the sound of hooves thumping the ground, and she briefly wondered if her horse had returned to save her. She opened her eyes and noticed two mounted horses heading her way, but her vision was blurred so that she could not make out the riders. All she knew was that she was safe. Someone had come to save her. The thought gave her hope, and with the remaining of her energy, she managed to grab onto a nearby rock and hit the head of the drowner looming over her hard enough to knock it out. Willow managed to get back on her feet and was finally able to recognise her saviours. Ciri and Geralt had both dismounted their horses and were slashing at the drowners with ease. Willow suddenly felt her stomach drop. She was in so much trouble.

Ciri and Geralt made quick work of the nest. Willow did her best to stand upright, but as the adrenaline came down, she became aware of the pain and the smell of blood. Her head was spinning faster than ever as she felt her legs cave in under her. Geralt was quick to catch her in his arms and he gently lowered her to the ground, his deep voice whispering comforting words to her. He uttered a sharp command to Ciri, but Willow could not make out what it was. She was trying to keep her eyes open and to resist the urge to sleep. Everything hurt, and all she could think about was how she had failed and had to be saved by Geralt, the one person she was trying to impress. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she croaked an apology. Her mouth filled with a thick liquid and the overwhelming metallic taste of blood made her feel sick.

“Da’… da, I’m…”

“Quiet,” Geralt shushed her, but not unkindly. The whole world began to spin as she forced herself to stay awake. Geralt brought a vial to her mouth and encouraged her to drink, but all she could taste was her own blood. “You’ll be alright. Don’t talk.”

Despite her efforts, Willow’s eyes fluttered shut as she lost consciousness.

OoO

Willow woke up in her own bed. She would recognise the soft covers anywhere, and the young girl instantly felt comforted. If it were not for her excruciating headache and the pain in her stomach, she would have suspected a nightmare. It took her several minutes to realise that she had in fact rode out by herself to take on a nest of drowners alone when she could barely lift a sword without losing her balance. In hindsight, Willow had been stupid to do this on her own. She regretted her actions and felt nothing but shame at the thought that not only had she put her life in danger, but she had also needed to be saved from the drowners she was trying to kill… all of this just to prove a point. Point not taken.

Geralt would be so pissed.

 _Jaskier_ would probably never let her leave unsupervised ever again.

She was the only one to blame, really.

 _Shit_.

“Oh thank the gods, you’re alive.”

Willow opened her eyes and stared straight into Jaskier’s blue orbs. The bard looked like he had not slept in days… which was probably an accurate description, which only made Willow feel worse about herself. Jaskier was as white as a ghost which made the dark rings under his eyes stand out even more. Despite looking like death, the bard managed a relieved smile as he brushed a wild strand out of Willow’s face.

“Darling, you had us so worried about you.”

“I know. I’m sorry, dad.”

“Hush now,” Jaskier leaned over and placed a loving kiss on her hair before resting his forehead against hers and letting out a relieved sigh, “you’re here now, sweetheart. You’re here, and you’re safe. And you’re so grounded, but we’ll get to that later.”

“How long was I asleep for?”

“Three days. You’ve been in a healing sleep. Geralt gave you one of his potions and your body could barely handle it. But you’re okay now, and that’s what matters the most to me. Don’t you ever dare scare me like that again, do you understand? I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything had happened to you, my darling girl.”

Willow bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. The realisation that she came really close to dying dawned on her, and with it the foolishness of her actions. When Jaskier noticed the tears, he pulled Willow close to his chest and cradled her like a child, rocking her back and forth gently as she let the tears run freely down her cheeks. He whispered reassuring nothings in her hair as he allowed her to cry out the traumatic experience. Willow kept on apologising, knowing that it would never make up for the worry she had caused everyone.

“You’re awake!” Ciri’s voice exclaimed, pulling Willow out of her trance. She stared at the other woman, the closest person she had to a sister. Ciri was quick to join the hug, climbing into bed with Willow and spooning her from behind as she buried her face in Willow’s curly hair. Sandwiched between Ciri and Jaskier, Willow felt like nothing could ever get to her anymore. She wished they could stay cuddled like this forever. Unfortunately, their soft moment was interrupted by the sound of Geralt’s heavy boots approaching the bed.

“Leave us,” he told Ciri and Jaskier, his voice impenetrable and betraying no emotion. Willow knew she would have to face him sooner or later, but she had hoped that she could have done so in the presence of Jaskier at least. She did not know how well she would handle a one to one with Geralt after what had happened.

“Geralt…”

“Now, Ciri.”

This time, it was an order. Ciri reluctantly pulled away from Willow and rose from the bed, waiting for Jaskier to do the same before leaving the room. Willow faintly heard Jaskier tell Geralt to take it easy on her, but that did not reassure her in the least. Geralt was probably furious with her, and she had to be prepared to be yelled at for the next hours at least. Once Ciri and Jaskier left the room, leaving Geralt and Willow alone, an uncomfortable silence settled in the room. Willow avoided Geralt’s eyes, occasionally sniffling as she tried to stop the stream of tears. After what felt like hours, Geralt decided to sit on the edge of Willow’s bed. Willow was not too sure what she had expected Geralt to do – perhaps yell at her, slap her, shake some sense into her – but having him so composed had not featured in the scenarios her mind had imagined.

“What were you thinking?”

Willow decided that she would much rather have Geralt yell at her than hear the disappointment in his voice.

“I… I wasn’t…”

“We can agree on that, at least. Why would you go after drowners on your own? I told you that you weren’t ready for it. Did you have to go and prove me right?”

Willow swallowed thickly as she thought of how to best explain her decision to Geralt without the conversation turning into an argument again. She had messed up. Geralt’s recognition was all she had been after, and not only had she disappointed him, but he would probably never stop treating her like a child. She had lost his trust forever.

“I just wanted to prove to you that I can be as strong and fearless as you and Ciri.”

Geralt did not respond for a while. His amber eyes were too intense and Willow found herself looking away from him. She could feel his gaze on her and all she wanted was to disappear into a tiny hole. Willow had never felt so ashamed in her life.

“I’m not always fearless, Willow. Take today, for example. I was scared to lose you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like it. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my life.”

At these words, Willow looked up with surprised written all over her face. There was no anger in Geralt’s eyes, only concern and love for her. She could tell that he was telling the truth, and not only that, he was revealing one of his few weaknesses to her. Willow could not remember having ever seen him this open and vulnerable.

“You were?”

“Mhm. My worst fear is losing you, Ciri or Jaskier. If anything were to happen to any of you, I would never forgive myself. When we realised that you were gone, I felt sick to my stomach with fear for you. Witchers are not supposed to be scared of anything, but I was. Ciri was, and Jaskier too. We were all worried about you.”

Willow lowered her eyes in embarrassment once again, unable to look Geralt in the eye after his confession. Yep, she would much rather have him yell at her.

“I just wanted you to be as proud of me as you are of Ciri,” she admitted in a whisper, her throat tight with emotion.

“I _am_ as proud of you as I am of Ciri, Willow. Just because you two have different strengths doesn’t mean I am less proud of you. In fact, the older you get the more you remind me of Jaskier. How could I not love that about you?”

Willow could not help the giggle that pushed past her lips at those words. Geralt managed a small smile as well, which reassured Willow somewhat. She tentatively moved closer to Geralt, and when he did not pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled into his side.

“I’m sorry, da’. I was stupid and reckless. I promise I’ll listen in the future.”

“Yes, you were. And yes, you will. Starting today, you’re not to leave this house until you’ve earned both our trusts again, understood?” Geralt told her, returning the embrace despite the stern tone of voice. Willow sighed and nodded in resignation.

“And as soon as you’re feeling better, Ciri said she would take over your training. I’ve been told that perhaps I’m not as good a teacher as I claim to be.”

“I mean, you could work on your praise, but other than that I think I’m a crappy student too.” Willow eventually pulled away from Geralt and pulled her covers closer to her chest, feeling the evening chill enter her room through her open window. Geralt merely hummed in agreement as he rose from the bed and worked on getting a fire started in the fireplace. Willow stared at Geralt’s back as she pondered her next words carefully.

“Da?”

“What is it?” Geralt stopped in his tracks to look at Willow over his shoulder.

“I love you. Even when we fight. I will always love you.”

Geralt merely smiled at those words before turning his attention to the fire once again. Comforted by the fact that she was safe in her own bed, Willow relaxed. She promised herself to try harder with her training from now on.

THE END.


End file.
